I think one of the most helpful things that I have done for myself and my son was to start when he was an infant to plan for his future. We all have hopes and dreams for our kids - they will be inventors, statesmen/women, scientists, lawyers, physicians, or teachers - whatever they wish to be. However, the reality is that we do not often pick out our kids' lifelong professions and in the case of children with special needs, the need is to create a vision of the future, not a "what" they will be but rather "how" they will be. What I am talking about here is the setting of realistic, measurable, and lifelong goals. This is somewhat like writing a mission or vision statement for a company you may want to start.

For my son it was as follows: "That as an adult Nick will be living independently or semi-independently, be gainfully employed and a taxpaying and contributing member of society, and be able to navigate his community either independently or with assistance."

Having such a statement clearly articulated and written down helped me to then create steps to get him there. It provided a platform for discussion with many people who helped us along the way and it gave them a vision of what their contributions would be. It also gave me a view of what my life might be like when Nick was an adult. Below I will outline how I took that statement and used it as a powerful tool to engage others in the journey of making it reality. But first, let's talk about some other useful tools and strategies that helped us move ahead.